Wisconsin's Top 5 highest-ranked recruiting wins during the Greg Gard era

Daniel Freitag, the No. 60 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, is set to make his college decision on Friday.

With Wisconsin included in Freitag's top five, BadgerBlitz.com took a look back at the highest-rated prospects Greg Gard has signed during his time as head coach of the Badgers.

COMMITMENT DATE: Sept. 29, 2019

OTHER OFFERS: Creighton, Loyola (IL), Minnesota, Nebraska and Valparaiso

RANKING: No. 123

STORY: Three-star point guard Chucky Hepburn picked up an offer from Wisconsin after a strong performance at UW's advanced camp in the summer of 2019. Later that fall, the standout from Bellevue West High School in Nebraska committed to the Badgers shortly after an official visit.

Hepburn, the 2020 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, has been a starter for the Badgers since his freshman season.

QUOTE: “(I committed to Wisconsin because) the authenticity of every single coach,” Hepburn told BadgerBlitz.com. “They showed love to everybody and I loved to see that. I am very comfortable speaking with every coach. They have made me feel like family instead of just a player.

“The future is really bright for the program. Every commit from the 2020 and 2021 classes are coming from winning teams, whether it was AAU or high school. So we all know how to compete and win. The goal is to win a few championships, but we know it won’t be easy.”

COMMITMENT DATE: 5/17/2022

RANKING: No. 112

OTHER OFFERS: Arkansas, Auburn, Charleston, Florida State, Iowa, Louisville, Marquette, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Stanford, Utah, West Virginia and Xavier, among others.

STORY:

Gus Yalden, who grew up in Appleton, was the first prospect Wisconsin offered in the 2023 class. During the course of his recruitment, the four-star big racked up 20-plus offers but trimmed his list to four schools: Wisconsin, College of Charleston, Rutgers and Nebraska. The Rivals150 standout took an official visit to Madison in May of 2022 and committed days after.

QUOTE: "The Wisconsin staff set their sights on Yalden early in the recruiting process, and with good reason," wrote National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Travis Graf. "The four-star forward’s style of play transitions very well into the Big Ten, and he brings versatility to the floor every time he steps foot on one. Yalden knows what he is. He’s not an elite athlete, and doesn’t have the quickest of feet, but he plays to his strengths as well as any forward in the country.

"He understands angles and has an array of post moves and counter moves that he uses depending on the defender. Yalden also brings playmaking to the table as a forward, being very comfortable passing out of the post, on the perimeter, and from the top of the key. His vision, combined with his ability to stretch the floor, gives him a unique skill set compared to the other forwards in 2023. The four-star makes winning plays, has contagious energy, and should be a fan favorite in Madison."

COMMITMENT DATE: 9/18/2019

RANKING: No. 105

OTHER OFFERS: Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Stanford and Xavier, among others

STORY:

Ben Carlson's career at Wisconsin didn't go as many expected, but he was a huge get for Gard and his staff in the fall of 2019. The four-star prospect from Minnesota appeared to be trending towards Xavier, but the Badgers secured a commitment from Carlson shortly after an unofficial visit in September. His pledge came one day after Steven Crowl announced for the Badgers. Gard was also rumored to be en route to see Brandon Angel at the time of Carlson's commitment.

"I think the opportunity that Ben saw himself, where in the past, they’ve had forwards very similar to him, and they’ve been very successful," D1 Minnesota coach Al Harris told BadgerBlitz.com. "I think that he believed that what they were telling him about the opportunity that he would have to be on the floor and to help their program out right away as a true freshman really resonated with him and rang bells.

"I think the other thing, ultimately, the comfort level of being around guys that you’re familiar with -- that are on the same mission and purpose that you have been -- spoke volumes to Ben, I believe, on his visit. I think that they already had a very strong relationship with the staff, very strong relationship with the program. He could see himself being successful there. The style of play was very similar. However, I think that he saw the uniqueness of his versatility that it can provide so much more opportunity at the Badgers because they usually have an athletic forward. He can kind of fits that mold as that athletic forward that they’ve always had in the past and that has had some success being inside-outside."

COMMITMENT DATE: 7/11/2016

RANKING: No. 97

OTHER OFFERS: Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Stanford and Yale, among others

STORY: Gard and assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft developed a strong relationship with Brad Davison that dated back to his ninth grade year at Maple Grove High School in Minnesota. That connection proved to be beneficial when Davison, who exploded on the EYBL circuit during the spring and summer before his senior year, made his commitment to the Badgers in July of 2016. Duke, among many other schools, was rumored to be showing interest just prior to Davison's announcement.

“I think it was just the familiarity with coach Gard and coach (Joe) Krabbenhoft,” Davison told BadgerBlitz.com. “I’ve known coach Gard ever since I was a freshman, and I’ve known coach Krabbenhoft since I was in eighth grade when he was at South Dakota State. I think I built a really strong relationship with them over time, and at the end I followed my gut and my heart and chose Wisconsin.”

COMMITMENT DATE: 9/18/2019

RANKING: No. 105

OTHER OFFERS: Clemson, Creighton, DePaul, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Northwestern, San Diego, Santa Clara and Washington State, among others

STORY:

Nathan Ruevers, a four-star prospect from Minnesota, started the Lakeville North to Wisconsin pipeline. Since his signing, the high school has also sent Tyler Wahl, Nolan Winter (signed in the 2023 class) and Jack Robison (committed in the 2024 class) to UW.

Reuvers, who played for D1 Minnesota on the AAU circuit, averaged 25.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as a senior and led Lakeville North to a 24-2 record.

"The biggest thing is that he felt comfortable there and really liked the coaching staff," North head coach John Oxton told BadgerBlitz.com. "Wisconsin has a great track record working with kids like Nathan and I think he was very impressed by that. All those factors combined to make Wisconsin the right choice for him.

"I think everyone in college basketball likes a 6-foot-10 kid who can shoot the basketball. He can do a lot of things offensively and defensively because of a very high basketball IQ. I think that really fits with what Wisconsin is all about. It's just a great fit."

Markus Ilver, (No. 131) Jonathan Davis (No. 134), Chris Hodges (No. 137), Nolan Winter (No. 141) and Matthew Mors (No. 144).

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